Can-cleaning machine



w. B DURANT. I CAN CLEANING MACHINE. v APPLICATION FILED JULY 9- I921.

Patented Nov. 14, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHED I.

[7 606 7160/ Jim 73. 4 mm W. B DURANT. CAN CLEANING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 9. 1921.

Patented Nov. M, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W. B. DURANT. I CAN CLEANING MACHINE- APPLICATION FILED JULY 9.1921.

1 Patented Nov. 14, 1922-.

x Q sm ownrmwluihmm J.

W. B. DURANT.

CAN CLEANING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 9,1921.

1,435,220. Patented Nov, 14,1922.

4 SHEET-SHEE'I 4.

[nve 77,6071

Patented Nov. 14, 1922.

WILLIAM B. DURANT, or camnarnen, MASSACHUSETTS, nssrenon 'lO WILLIAM UNDERWOOD COMPANY, on Bos'ron, ranssnonosnr'rs, A VOLUNTARY ASSO- CIATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

I CAN- CLEANING MACHINE.

Application filed. July 9, 1921. Serial No. 483.521.

To all whom it may cancer-72.:

Be it known that I, lViLLIAM B. DURANT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Can-Cleaning Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relatesto a machine for cleaning cans after the cans have been filled and sealed;. During the process of filling cans, for instance, meat cans or cans containing other. articles of food, the outside of the cans becomes soiled and covered with grease in many cases where grease is used in the packing of the contents of the can. This renders it necessary to remove the grease before the labelling operation for the reason that if there is grease on theoutside of the can, the labels will not stick to the can satisfactorily'and moreover they: will'become soiled and will not present anattractive and neat appearance. It is the object, therefore, of this invention to thoroughly clean the cans, removing all grease from the outside thereof and delivering them from the machine in perfect shape for labelling'and for shipment.

The invention consists of a can cleaning machine such as hereinafter described in the specification and particularlyof the combination of elements set forth in the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved can cleaning machine.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 33, Fig. 1.

line 44, Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 55, Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a detail elevation of the clamping mechanism.

Like numeralsrefer tolike parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In the drawings, 10 is the frame ofthe machine upon which is rotatably mounted a main driving shaft 11 driven by means of a pulley 12; A sprocket gear 13 is fastened to the shaft 11 and is connected by a sprocket chain 14 to another sprocket gear 15 which has a hub 16 thereon which is loosely mounted to rotate upon a shaft 17. A pair of clamping plates 18 and 19, see Figs. 1 and 5, are clamped to the hub 16 by a pair of bolts 20 leaving between the adjacent faces of the clamp plates 18 and 19 spaces 21 into which project pins 22 which are fastened to a ratchet 23 which, in turn, is rigidly fast to the shaft '17 The ratchet 23 is engaged by a pawl 24 pivoted at 25 to the frame of the machine and the free end of said pawl is held in engagement with the ratchet by a spring 26. To the upper end of the pawl 24 is pivotally attached at 27 a cam slide 28 which is slotted at 29 and through said slot the shaft 11 extends. To the shaft 11 is fastened a cam 30 which, as the shaft 11 is rotated, engages a cam roll 31 rotatably mounted upon the cam slide 28 and thus imparts a reclprocatory motion to the cam slide 28 and intermittently withdraws the pawl 24 from engagement with the teeth of the ratchet 23 so as to allow said ratchet to be rotated, the cam 30 releases the pawl in time for the spring 26 to draw the pawl back into engagement with the ratchet before the arrival thereat ofanother tooth. The shaft 1] has a sprocket gear 32 fast thereto, Figs. 1 and 4, which is connected by a sprocket chain 33 to a sprocket gear 34, the sprocket gear 34 being fastened to a gear 35 which is fastened to a shaft 36 rotatably mounted in the frame of the machine. The gear 35 meshes into a gear 37 which is fastened to a shaft 38 rotatably mounted in the frame of the machine. l he shafts 11 and 38 are thus rotated in opposite directions, namely in the directions respectively of the arrows a and 6, Figs. 1 and 4. The shaft 11 has another Y i sprocket gear 39 fast thereto which is con- Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation taken on the nected by a sprocket chain 40 to a sprocket gear 41 fastened to the hub 42 of a large gear 43 which is rotatably mounted upon the shaft 17 and this mechanism causes the gear 43 to rotatein the direction of the arrow 0, Fig. 1, or in the same direction as the shaft 11. The shaft 38 has a sprocket gear 44 fast thereto which is connected by a sprocket chain 45 to a sprocket gear 46 which, in turn, is fastened to the hub 47 of another large gear 48, thus rotating the gear 48 in the chrection of the arrow (Z, or in the same direction as the shaft 38. Between the gears 43 and 48 is a canjholder' 49, Figs. 1 and 3, which is fast to the shaft 17 The shaft 17, it will be remembered, is frictionally and m- I be moved positively away from said cans at the proper time. In addition to the brushes for cleaning the tops and bottoms of, the cans termittently driven through the mechanism hereinbefore described. and illustrated in Fig. 5. The holder 49 is provided with a plurality of recesses 50 in its periphery, each of said recesses being adapted to receive a can 51, and said cans are fed into said recesses by an inclined chute 52. The cans are fed out of the machine by means-of a chute 53. During the intermittent rotation of .the holder 49 the tops and bottoms of the cans are first subjected to cleansing by means of a plurality of pairs of oppositely disposed brushes 54. and which are fastened to shafts 56 and 57 respectively. The shafts 56 and 57 are rotatably mounted in. the frame 10 and have fast thereto gears 58 and 59 respectively. The gears 58 and 59 mesh into the large gears 48 and 43 and are, therefore, rotated 1n opposite directions respectively'so that'the brushes and will be rotated in opposite directions; The shafts 56 and 57 together with the. gears and brushes attached thereto, have a reciprocatory motion imparted thereto by means of frames 60 and 61 through which the shafts 56'and 57 project. The shafts 56 have collars 62 and 63 fast thereto upon opposite sides of the frame 60, and the shafts 57 have collars 64 and 65 fast theretoupon opposite.

sides of the frame 61 so that said shafts 56 and 57 can bereciprocated by IIlGZtIlS'Of the reciproca-tory frames 60' and 61. A reciprocatory motion is imparted to the frames 60 and 61 by cams 66"arnd 67 on the shaft 11 and by cams 68 and 69. on the shaft 38 and by springs 70 and 71. The cams 66 and 68 engage respectively cam rolls 72 and 73 which are fastened to members'74 and 75- which are fastened to a plate 76 which, in turn, is fastened to the sliding frame 60. The cams 67 and 69 engage cam rolls 78 and 79 which are rotatably mounted. uponmembers 80; and 81 fast to the plate 82.

said plate being fastened to the sliding frame 61. Asthe shafts 11 and 37 are rotated: as hereinbefore described, the cams '66, 67, 68 and 69- will be: rotated and thus through the cam rolls 72, 78; 7 3 and 79 the sl ding frames 60 and 61 will be moved positivel-y away from each other and awayfrom the can holder and the cans contained therein and will be moved by means of the springs 70 and 71 toward the cans, thus bringing thebrushes 54 and 55 into engagement with the tops and bottoms of the cans held upon the holder 49 with a yielding pressure and will other brushes 84 are PIOVldQCl for cleaning the peripheries of the cans. The said brushes 8.4 Fig. 3 are fastened to shafts 85-and are rotated by gears 86 Fig. 4 fast to the shafts 85 and meshing into a gear 87 which is fast t0 a shaft 88 to which a sprocket gears also fastened which is connected by a sprocket chain 90 to a sprocket gear 91 fastto the shaft 11. The cans, while they are being operated upon by the peripheral brushes 84,.are rotated inadirection opposite to that in which the peripheral brushesare rotated by clamps 92 and 93 Fig. 6 which are fast; to" shafts 94 and 95. The shaft 95 has a gear 96 fast thereto and meshing into the large gear 43;. The said shaft 95 projects through the sliding frame 61 and has collars 97 and 98 fast thereto upon opposite sides of said frame and the shaft 94 has collars 99' y and. lOOfast thereto, a spring 101 encircling the cans when the slide frames 60 and 61 move away from the can holder 49 and from each other. Cleaning fluid is supplied to the cans and to the brushes 54 and during the cleaning operation by pipes 102' which con nect with the shafts 56 and 57 said shafts being hollow, and thus the cleansing fluid passes through the shafts 56 and 57 and to the brushes 54 and 55. Cleansing fluid is supplied to the peripheral brushes 84 by pipes 103. In the present embodiment of my invention the cans are acted: upon to wash the tops and bottoms thereof in positions 1, 2 and 3after-leaving. the chute 52, see Fig. 3, and are acted upon by the periphreal brushes in positions. 4 and 5,Fig. 3.

The general operation of the mechanism hereinbefore specifically described is asfollows: Assuming the-parts to be in the rela tive positions illustrated in the, drawings and that cans are being fed from the chute 52 into the recesses 50uinthe periphery of the holder 49, the brushes 54 and 55 are in contact with the tops and bottoms of the cans in-positions 1, 2 and 3, Figure 3. while the brushes--84 are in contact with the peripheries of the cans in positions 4 and .5. The brushes 54 and 55. rotate in opposite directions respectively and the water is fed throughjthe pipes 102 and through the hollow shafts 56 and 57 to supply the brushes 54"and55 with cleansing fluid simultaneously while the peripheries of-the cans in positions 4 and 5 are being washed by the brushes 84 and the cans are being rotated in an opposite direction to; that of the brushes by the clamps 92 and 93 which are rotated by means of the gear 96. After the cans have been. subjected to the action of the brushes a predetermined length of time, the slide; frames 60 and 61- are moved.- away from.

each other and from the holder 49', thus carrying the brushesbd and 5 5 awayfrom and out of contact with the cans located in posi-' tions 1, 2 and 3, and the clamps 92 and 93 are simultaneously movedaway from each other and out ofcontact with the cans in positions 1- and 5 bythe said slide'fr'am'e;

,VVhen this has been accomplished the cam 30 actuates the cam slide 28 to draw the pawl 24: backwardly out of contact with the ratchet 23," whereupon. said ratchet,together with the can holder 49 and the cans thereon are given a partial rotationand are stopped brought to bearwith ayielding pressure upon the tops and bottoms of-the cans in the positionsl, 2 and 3, and the clamps 92 and 93 are brought to bear withayielding pressure against the tops and bottoms of the cans and then proceed to impart to said cans in the positions 4: and 5 a rotary motion in the opposite direction to that of the peripheral brushes 84E. lVhen the cans have been operated upon by the top and bottom brushes and by the peripheral brushes they are fed out of the machine into the'chute 52 as illustrated in Figure 3.

I claim: v

1. A can cleaning machine having, in com: bination, a rotary holder, provided in its periphery with a plurality of recesses, each of said recesses being adapted to receive a can, mechanism to impart an intermittent rotary motionto said holder, a plurality of pairs of oppositely disposed rotary brushes, the brushes of each pair being adapted to engage respectively the tops and bottoms of cans positioned in said recesses, mechanism to simultaneously move said brushes toward and away fromsaid cans and mechanism to rotate the brushes of each of said pairs in opposite directions respectively.

2. A can cleaning machine having, in com bination, a rotary holder, provided in its periphery with a plurality of recesses, each of said recesses being adapted to receive a can, mechanism to impart an intermittent rotary motion to said holder, means to guide cans into said recesses, a plurality of pairs of oppositely disposed rotary brushes, the brushes of each pair being adapted to engage respectively the tops and bottoms of saidc'ans, mechanism to simultaneously move said brushes toward said cans with a yielding pressure and to move said brushes positively away from said cans and mechanism to rotate the brushes of each pair in opposite directions respectively.

3. A can cleaning machine having, incom bination, a rotary holder, provided 'in'its periphery with a plurality of recesses, each of said recesses being adapted to receive a can, mechanism to impart anintermittent rotary motion to said holder, a plurality of pairs of oppositely disposed rotary brushes, the brushes of each pair bein'gadapted to engage respectively the tops and bottoms of cans positioned insaid holder, mechanism'to sirnub taneously move said brushes toward and away from said cans,'mechanism torotate the brushes of each pair 011": brushes respectively in opposite directions, a rotarybrush adapted to engage the peripheries of said cans, a pair ofoppositely disposed clamps adapted to successively engage the topsand bottoms of said cans, ,meansto rotate one member of said pair ofclamps while a cani's clamped 'therebetw'een whereby the other member of said pair of clamps will be given a rotary movement and means to'cause said clamps to engage" said cans with a yielding pressure. I

4. A can cleaning machine having, in combination, a rotary holder, provided in its periphery with a plurality of recesses, each of said recesses being adapted to receive a can, mechanism to impart an intermittent rotary motion to said holder, a plurality of pairs of oppositely disposed rotary brushes, the brushes of each pair being adapted to en gage successively the tops and bottoms of cans positioned in said recesses, mechanism to simultaneously move said brushes toward and away from said cans, mechanism to rotate the brushes of each pair of brushes respectively in opposite directions, a rotary brush adapted to subsequently engage the peripheries of said cans, a pair of oppositely disposed clamps adapted to engage the tops and bottoms of said cans, means to rotate one member of said pair of clamps while a can is clamped therebetween whereby the other member of said pair of clamps will be given a rotary movement, means to guide cans into the recesses in said, holder and means to guide cans out of the recesses in said holder.

5. A can cleaning machine having, in combination, a rotary holder, provided in its periphery with a plurality of recesses, each of said recesses being adapted to receive a can, mechanism to impart an intermittent rotary motion to said holder, a plurality of pairs of oppositely disposed rotary brushes, the brushes of each pair being adapted to engage respectively the tops and bottoms of cans positioned in said recesses, a pair of sliding frames upon which said brushes are journalled, mechanism adapted to impart a reciprocatory motion to said frames toward and away from said cans whereby said brushes may be moved toward and away from said cans and mechanism to rotate the brushes of each pair respectively in opposite directions.

v 6. A can cleaning machine having, in con1- bination, a rotary holder, provided in itsperiphery With a plurality ofrecesses, eachoi said recesses being-adapted to receive ;a can,

mechanism to impart an intermittent rotary motion to said holder, a plurality of pairs of oppositely disposed rotary brushes, the brushes of each pair being adapted to engage respectively the :tops and bottoms of cans positioned in said recesses, pair of sliding frames upon which said brushes are j ournalled, mechanismadapted to move said. sliding frames positively away from said cans and yieldingly toward said cans Whereby the said brushes may be brought to bear against the tops and bottoms of said cans With a yielding pressure and positively moved away from said cans and mechanism to rotate the brushes of each of said pairs of brushes respectively in opposite directions.

7; A can cleaning machine having, in combination, a rotary holder provided in its periphery Witha plurality of recesses each of said recesses fbeing adapted to receive a can, mechanism to impart an intermittent ro ta ry. motion to said holder a pair. of oppositely disposed rotary brushes, hollow shafts to Which said brushes are fastenecl means to convey cleansing liquid through said shafts to said brushes said brushes being adapted to engage respectively the tops and bottoms of cans positioned in said recesses, mechanism to simultaneously move said brushes toward and awayfrom said cans and mechanism to rotate said'brushes in opposite directions respectively.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM B. DURANT, 

